Instrument mounting mechanism



July 31, 1951 J. A? CALDWELL 2,562,260

INSTRUMENT MOUNTING MECHANISM Original Filed Dec. 1, 1941 S l V 2/25 Imnuhuunur""" l 28 adf 27 l INVENTOR. 53 54 i JOHN A. CALDWELL PatentedJuly 31, 1951 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,562,260- INST RUMEfi'rMOUNTING MECfiANisM I John A. Caldwell, Philadelphia; Pa., assignor, bymesne assignments, to Minneapolis-Honeywell Regulator Company,Minneapolis, Minn., a corporation of Delaware 1, 1945, SeriaiNo;580,465

Claims. (01. sis-2i) This invention relates to measuring and/or controlinstruments andmore particularly to the construction of the instrumentcasings and the manner of mounting the instrument casings on aninstrument panel. g I

This application is a division of my copending application Serial No.421,175, filed December 1, 1941, forMeasuring, Recording, andControlling Apparatus, now Patent 2,423,479.

Objects and advantages of this invention will become apparent'to thoseskilled in the art upon reference to the accompanying specification,claims and drawing, in which;

Fig. 1 is a front elevational view of a measuring and/or controlinstrument.

Fig. 2 is a side elevational view of the instrument of Fig. 1 with theinstrument panel shown in dash lines; I k r Fig. 3 is an enlargedview,partly in section. of the upper portion of Fig. 2; and g t Fig. 4is a plan view of the mounting bracket of Fig. 3.

Referring now to the drawing, the measuring and control apparatus of theinstrumentis included in an instrument casing generally designated at' I0. The instrument casing is preferably formed of sheet metal such assheet steel. The casing is constructed of abent piece of sheet metalforming a top portion II, a back portion 12 and a bottomportion [3. Thetop portion H and the bottom-portion [3 are bent outwardly and welded toa steel frame [4. Side plates I5 are provided with bent over flangeswhich are Welded to the steel frame 14 and are also welded to the top,back and bottom sections, H, I2 and 13, respectively, of the casing. Thecasing has a flanged edge formed by the steel frame M. A door [8 for thecase In is hinged to the case by means of hinge pins l9 extendingbetween the door i8 and the upper and lower flanges of the steel frameI4 of the case. The door is provided with a latch and lock 20 forholding the door closed. In order to seal the case when the door isclosed, the door is provided with a gasket 2i which abuts against theturned down flanges of the case where they are welded to the steel frameM.

The mounting means, generally designated at 25, for flush mounting theinstrument case Ill on an instrument panel 26 is shown in detail inFigs. 3 and 4. The mounting means 25 comprises a bracket having a baseportion 21 which lies along the instrument casing and an upstandingportion 28. Reinforcing flanges are provided at 29. Formed on the baseportion 2'! 2 v are lugs 30.which are circular in cross section. Thelugs 30ers provided with a cut-awaycam portion 31. The lugs 30 fitthrough holes 32 in the instrument casinglil, the holes 32 beingslightly larger in diameter than the lugs 30,. The upstanding portion 28is tapped to receive a screw 33 which isheld in place by a lock nut 34.

Normallythe holes 32. in theinstrument case are filled with a plug toprevent dirt from getting into the instrumentv case whengthe mount-r ingmeans 25ers not ,used. When the mounting means25 are used, the plug istaken, fromthe holesl32 and the lugs 30 are inserted in the holes 32."Ihe screw 33 abuts the back of .the instrue merit panel 26 and as thescrew .33 is tightened up the cam'surfaces 3| drawthe fastening means 25into engagement with. the case l0, to form a rigid structure. The screw33 isthen locked in place by the lock nut 34 and the; instrument issecurely fastened to the instrument panel 26 in a flush manner. Agasket35 .islocatedbetween the mounting means 25 and the instrument caseHlto prevent dirt and/or. corrosive gases from getting into theinstrument case through the holes 32. r s

When the screw 33 istightened ,thegflange M isv pulled tightly againstthe instrument panel 26, and therefore, the instrument casing issecurely fastened to the instrument panel 26. ,The force which pulls theflange I4 against. themstrument panel 26is transmitted from themountingmeans 25 through the casing I0 and the out turned flanges thereof whichare welded to the flange member [4. By reason of this arrangement,stresses in the weld between the sheet metal casing and the flangemember M are reduced to a minimum.

While in accordance with the provisions of the statutes, I haveillustrated and described the best form of my invention now known to me,it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that changes may be madein the form of the apparatus disclosed without departing from the spiritof my invention as set forth in the appended claims, and that certainfeatures of my invention may sometimes be used to advantage without acorresponding use of other features.

Having now described my invention, what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent is:

1. In combination, an instrument casing having an abutment and anaperture extending through a side Wall of the casing, said casing beingadapted to be inserted through an opening in a panel board so that theabutment abuts clamping the abutment against the panel board.

2. In combination, an instrument casing having an abutment and a sidewall with an aperture therethrough and adapted to be inserted through anopening in a panel board so that the abutment abuts one side of thepanel board and the aperture is located on the other side of the panelboard, a member including a lug having a cam surface located in theaperture, means extending between the member and the panel board forclamping the member through the cam surface of the lug to the instrumentcasing'end and for clamping the abutment against the panel board, "and agasket between the member and the instrument casing for sealing theaperture in the instrument casing.

, 3. In combination, an instrument casing having an abutment and anaperture in open communication with the interior and the exterior ofsaid casing, said casing being adapted to be inserted through an openingin a panel board so that the abutment abuts one side of the panel boardand the aperture is located on the other side of 'the panel board, amounting lug having a surface to engage the exterior of said casing, ahook shaped projection extending from said surface into the interior ofsaid casing and received by said aperture when said surface engages theexterior of said casing, and means extending between said member and thepanel board to force said hook shaped projection into said aperture andthereby pull said abutment tightly against the panel board.

' 4. In combination, an instrument casing having'side walls and an openfront and having an upstanding flange around the open front andapertures through the side walls whereby when the casing is placed in anopening in a panel board the flange will abut one surface of the panelboard and the apertures will be on the other side'of the panel board, amounting memher having a surface with a hook shaped portion extendingtherefrom, said hook shaped portion being adapted to extend through oneof said aper- 4 tures when said surface is placed against one of theside walls of said instrument casing, and means to force said mountingmember away from the panel board to thereby cause said hookshapedportion to engage an edge of said aperture and 'pull said flange againstthe panel board.

5. In combination, an instrument casing having an upstanding flange andapertures therein through the side walls, whereby, when the casing isplaced in an opening in a panel board, the flange will abut one surfaceof the panel board and the apertures will be adjacent the other surfaceof the panel board, a mounting bracket having a screw-threaded holetherein and a base portion and a hook-shaped lug extending from saidbase portion with the stem of the lug at right angles to the axis of thehole and the inner surface of the bent-over end of the lug extending atan angle to the axis of the hole and to the axis of the stem to providea wedging cam surface, said hook-shaped lug being adapted to extend intoone of said apertures with the cam surface in' contact with the innersurface of the instrument casing when said base portion is placedagainst one of the side walls of the instrument casing, and ascrew-threaded member extending through the hole in said mountingbracket, whereby rotation of said screwthreaded member forces'saidmounting member away from the panel board "to thereby cause the camsurface of said hook-shaped lug to engage the edge of said aperture andto adjust said instrument casing horizontally and vertically in theopening in the panel board.

- JOHN A. CALDWELL.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED sTATEs PATENTS

